Living Planet Report 2024 | 15 Oct 2024

Source: HT

Why in News?

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s Living Planet Report 2024, there has been a catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020). 

• The highest decline was reported in freshwater ecosystems (85%), followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine (56%). 

What is the Living Planet Report and its Key Findings? 

• About: 
  • The WWF utilises the Living Planet Index (LPI) to track average trends in wildlife populations. It monitors broader changes in species population sizes over time. 
    • The Living Planet Index, released by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), monitors nearly 35,000 vertebrate populations across 5,495 species from 1970 to 2020.
    • It acts as an early warning system for extinction risks and also helps evaluate the overall health and efficiency of ecosystems. 
• Key Findings: 
  • Significant Population Declines: The steepest declines in monitored wildlife populations are recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%) and in freshwater ecosystems (85%). 
  • Primary Threats to Wildlife: Habitat loss and degradation, is the most reported threat to wildlife populations around the world, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease. 
  • Indicators of Ecosystem Health: Declines in wildlife populations can act as an early warning indicator of increasing extinction risk and loss of healthy ecosystems.  
    • Damaged ecosystems become more vulnerable to tipping points which are pushed beyond a critical threshold toward potentially irreversible change. 
    • For example, a study in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest indicates that the loss of large fruit-eating animals has reduced seed dispersal for large-seeded trees, which affects carbon storage. 
      • The WWF warns that this phenomenon could lead to carbon storage losses of 2-12% across forests in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, diminishing their ability to store carbon amid climate change. 
  • Vulnerability of Damaged Ecosystems: There are global agreements and solutions to set nature on the path to recovery by 2030, but so far there has been limited progress, and urgency is lacking. 
    • More than half of the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 are unlikely to meet their targets, with 30% already missed or worse than their 2015 baseline. 
  • Economic Impacts: Globally, over half of GDP (55%) is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services. 
    • The report estimates that by 2050, the world would only need 0.84 of an Earth to sustain food production if India’s diet model were adopted worldwide.  
• Threats to Biodiversity: 
  • Habitat Degradation and Loss: Deforestation, urbanization, and agricultural expansion are leading causes of habitat destruction. These activities fragment ecosystems, leaving species with less space and resources to survive.  
    • The Sacramento river winter-run Chinook salmon population decreased by 88% between 1950 and 2020, primarily due to dams disrupting their migratory routes. 
  • Overexploitation: Excessive hunting, fishing, and logging for commercial purposes are depleting wildlife populations faster than they can recover, pushing many species toward extinction. 
    • In Africa, poaching for the ivory trade has led to a 78-81% decline in forest elephant populations in Minkébé National Park from 2004 to 2014. 
  • Invasive Species: Non-native species introduced by humans often outcompete local species for resources, destabilising ecosystems and reducing biodiversity. 
  • Climate Change: Rising temperatures, shifting weather patterns, and extreme events are altering habitats, threatening species that cannot adapt quickly enough. 
    • Wildfires are becoming longer, with extreme fire events occurring more frequently, even reaching the Arctic Circle. 
  • Pollution: Industrial waste, plastic pollution, and agricultural runoff contaminated ecosystems, poisoning wildlife and disrupting the balance of natural processes. 
  • Critical Tipping Points: These refer to irreversible changes in ecosystems that, once crossed, lead to dramatic shifts.  
    • Coral Reef Bleaching: Mass coral die-offs could destroy fisheries and coastal protection, affecting millions of people. 
    • Amazon Rainforest: Continued deforestation could disrupt global weather patterns and release vast amounts of carbon, intensifying climate change. 
    • Greenland & Antarctic Ice Melt: Melting ice sheets would lead to significant sea level rise, impacting coastal regions globally. 
    • Ocean Circulation: The collapse of ocean currents could alter weather in Europe and North America. 
    • Permafrost Thaw: Large-scale thawing could release vast amounts of methane and carbon, accelerating global warming.

What are the Challenges Related to Conservation of Biodiversity? 

• Conflicting Priorities: Balancing conservation with economic growth can be challenging, especially in developing nations where short-term economic gains often take precedence over long-term ecological sustainability. 
• Resource Allocation: Limited financial resources and competing budget priorities make it difficult for governments to invest in large-scale biodiversity conservation efforts while addressing pressing social needs. 
• Agricultural Expansion: Meeting food security goals can conflict with habitat protection, as land for agriculture encroaches on ecosystems, particularly in biodiversity hotspots. 
• Issue in Energy Transition: Shifting to renewable energy can impact ecosystems through land-use changes (e.g., solar farms, wind turbines), creating trade-offs between environmental protection and energy needs. 
• Policy and Enforcement Gaps: Weak institutional frameworks and inconsistent enforcement of environmental regulations at both global and national levels hinder effective biodiversity protection, allowing unsustainable practices to continue unchecked.

Way Forward

• Scaling up Conservation Efforts: Increase and improve the effectiveness of conservation initiatives by expanding protected areas, restoring degraded ecosystems, and supporting Indigenous Peoples in conservation efforts. 
• Transforming Food Systems: Adopt sustainable agricultural practices, reduce food waste, and promote plant-based diets to lessen the environmental impact of food production on biodiversity. 
• Energy Transition: Accelerate the shift to renewable energy sources while ensuring minimal harm to ecosystems, reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and limiting climate change impacts. 
• Finance System Reform: Redirect financial investments away from harmful industries toward nature-positive and sustainable activities, ensuring long-term environmental benefits. 
• Global Cooperation: Foster stronger international collaboration on biodiversity protection, aligning climate, nature, and development policies to achieve global sustainability goals.